1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for indicating tempo or rhythm and, in particular, to metronomes using light.
2. Background Information
A metronome is a device that indicates a tempo or a rhythm. Musicians use metronomes when they practice or perform in order to keep a consistent tempo and/or to synchronize multiple musicians playing multiple musical instruments. A metronome may be adjusted to indicate any one of a range of tempos commonly used in musical compositions.
Musicians have used traditional pendulum metronomes for centuries. A pendulum metronome is a mechanical device using a weight on a rod to control the tempo. The rod swings back and forth with a consistent tempo, and a mechanical structure inside the metronome produces a clicking sound on each swing of the rod. To adjust the tempo, a user adjusts the physical placement of the weight on the rod. Traditional pendulum metronomes work well only for those musicians within direct view or audible range of the metronome. Furthermore, the clicking sound may be undesirable for live performances or recordings.
Current electronic metronomes provide a similar function to traditional pendulum metronomes, typically in a portable unit. These metronomes may include a dial or buttons for controlling the tempo, with one or more flashing lights and/or a speaker producing an auditory queue, such as a clicking sound, to indicate each beat. The flashing lights and/or the speaker share the primary disadvantages of the rod and the clicking sound of traditional pendulum metronomes; namely, these indicators work well only for those musicians within direct view of the metronome, and the auditory queue may be undesirable for live performances or recordings. Furthermore, a flash of light and/or a single auditory queue gives no information to the musician as to how time is progressing between beats. Also, the light may be out of view of a vast number of the musicians in a large ensemble.
To address some of the disadvantages posed by flashing lights and/or a speaker producing an auditory queue, current electronic metronomes may also include an output for connecting a set of headphones, to send the auditory queue directly to the musician's ears without broadcasting an undesirable sound during live performances or recordings. Multiple sets of headphones may be connected to the metronome to send the auditory queue to multiple musicians, thereby synchronizing the musicians without requiring a direct view of the metronome. Although sending the auditory queue via headphones may overcome some of the disadvantages of prior metronome designs, this solution requires additional equipment, such as additional wiring, additional connections, and a set of headphones for each musician. All of this additional equipment adds complexity, expense, potential distraction, and new potential points of failure to prior systems. Furthermore, an auditory queue via headphones still gives no information to the musician as to how time is progressing between beats.